Approaching landowners to buy land that's not for sale

I once wrote letter to some one asking if they'd like to sell a piece of land catty corner to me. They weren't farming it at the time. I got no response and the next year they farmed that piece.
They are land hogs like someone else mentioned. Big farmer and wife is VP of a local bank.
It worked out ok though. I got a bigger and cheaper piece of land a few months later, just not from them.

I have had 2 people approach me wanting to buy a piece of my current land, and I wasn't interested at the time.

That's not uncommon, but if they say no, drop it. We have had several people over the years want to buy our place. One in particular can get annoying about it. If we do sell, it won't be to him, just because of that.

Thanks for all the suggestions and stories. It's good to know that some of you were able to buy/sell land this way. Gives me hope!

I'd never dream of being obnoxious about it, or of harrassing someone who said no.

We're not quite ready to buy right now, so this is still all in the planning/hypothetical stage. We're in the middle of renovating and restoring our current home. This year we're remodeling our upstairs bathroom and refinishing all the floors, plus putting in a big veggie garden and building a chicken coop. If I'm lucky, we'll even get all the original woodwork put back on. That's plenty for me! Plus, we just had a baby 3.5 months ago. The idea of packing up right now to move is just WAY too much.

For now I'll just keep looking, dreaming, and jotting down addresses.

people approach my father all the time to sell them some of his farm. it is only 35 minutes to downtown indpls.

first, he doesn't need the money so the only way he'd sell some would be if they offered him wayyyyyy over its value. he doesn't care what it's worth. it's an investment for his children and grandchildren.

around here, 5 acre parcels are going for $75k on up and yet they want to offer him what he paid 25 years ago

friends of relatives, friends of friends, relatives of friends, honestly it's amazing how many come to my parents wanting them to sell them just 5-10 acres and because they somehow know a relative or are related to them think they will give them a steal (or think they are old and stupid).

I dunno, my thoughts are, if it isn't for sale, then it isn't for sale. ya know? its really become bothersome for not only him but all of the farm owners around him which are even older than he is. all of them are holding onto it for children, not strangers. now, if they want to offer $50k an acre, probably any of them will sit down and talk (and some of the developers are starting to get close to that mark).

When I have had people try to buy my hayfield and timber land, I just quoted them a price about 1500% higher than the going market price. Not only gets rid of the land vultures, it adds to my reputation of being that crazy man down the road

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My best friend said she knew of land for sale and knew the owners. 5 acres. The hubby was very sick. He drove down and chatted and got invited in and boom, I owned 5 acres in a flash. He needed the money for his wife. (grandkids despised me yet they had no money to buy his land--they were waiting it out for the inheritance--but the old guy fooled them)

So yes a phone call or letter would be fine asking about that property. You never know the circumstances, the owners might need your call or letter at that time!

I really don't offer much new to the thread...I am polite when I ask and polite if I turn an offer down.

The only thing I do a bit differently... I really don't know, or have a great desire to know, my neighbors. I don't mean to be rude.

Drive by and I wave, or send the kids up the drive selling Girl Scout cookies and I'll buy some, I'll stop and get some lemonade from a neighbor's kid just because he's outdoors on a nice day and not sitting in the house playing with the X-box. If I see a neighbor struggling with something I'll offer a hand.


But...I don't want you stopping by everyday for coffee that lasts two hours when I am trying to get stuff done, no...I won't get your kids on the bus every morning and I most certainly have no desire to get to know the next door neighbors that have the Troopers visit them once a month right after the whole valley hears their argument.

Back to the thread... If you want the property, ask, just ask the way you would like to be asked by someone who likes your place.

This is great advice from a great post. Expect 99 out of 100 to say no to your inquiry.

I know it isn't land, but I bought a truck by asking the guy if he wanted to sell. I didn't think a thing more about it, and a year later, he called. I bought the truck for a fraction of what I would have paid.

Moral of the story? Sometimes it pays to ask.

The best land is sold by word of mouth without a real estate listing. If you don't pipe up, you'll never know what's possible...you snooze, you lose! NOW is the time to buy before the inflationary economy sets in and drives prices thru the roof.

RF

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I've had people contact me and the one thing that POed me off the start is to insult me by offering way below Markit Price for my place.

big rockpile

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Never hurts to ask. Most folks in the past that I've asked have said they were never going to sell. My standard reply is well if you do decide to sell someday, I'd like first shot at it.

I actually had a 2nd cousin remember me telling him that... he called me when I was working in AK... we talked purt near an hour on the phone, and thought we had a deal. Next day he sold out to a stranger. I came home a month later and said stranger had a friend with him...with a .45 on his hip... said I was on "HIS LAND"!!! Ha! Had to show him the boundary lines...

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